Staying up the entire night before a flight

Hello again.

This particular question doesn't just have to do with flying to a cruise, but basically flying to vacation anywhere, whether it be a cruise or land-based vacation.

We always fly in on the day of the cruise, and almost never fly in the day before like many people do. Some people stay in a hotel near their airport the day before their flight, depending on how far it is from their home. When we go on our next cruise, my mother and I insist on staying at a hotel near the airport to make things easy for us, but my father insists on leaving straight from the house as we usually do, since the airport we're flying out of is only about an hour and 15 minutes from our house.

However, our flight is closer to like 7:30 in the morning, and we don't usually fly quite that early.

To top it off, I am a 17 year old male, and due to me staying up past midnight playing on the computer and listening to music, I've been sleeping in almost every single night this summer. I do have alarms on my phone, but even if I have the volume on my phone loud enough, I end up sleeping through them most of the time, probably because I'm a rather heavy sleeper in the summer, and even if I hear my alarm and wake up, I just go right back to sleep, so I might as well not even have alarms.

Because of this, alongside our unusually early flight, I figured, "I might as well stay up and spend the entire night preparing and packing up," to which my parents don't recommend, saying that I need at least some sleep.

Well, I could sleep on the plane, but I never do that. I always occupy myself by watching a movie on my DVD player, playing some video games, or even talking to the Internet. Speaking of which, expect a review of my cruise when I get back, and a series of vlogs. :D

If you are a teen, or if you are a parent with teens, would you get at least a little sleep, or is preparing the entire night something you don't mind?

In my view, staying up the night before a flight makes sense when it helps to "force" sleep on your flights, thus facilitating time zone changes.

Flying west coast to Europe, it's an 8 hour change to the Continent. If I'm somewhat whipped from the night before, I hit the zzz's easily. Ditto to Asia.

Now, if you are only changing one or two time zones, then it's a different story. You DON'T want to disrupt your normal sleep pattern.

However, staying up past midnight and sleeping in may not be a good pattern to get into. You say you have alarms on your phone....try getting an actual alarm clock with a loud alarm. Have it across the room from where you sleep, to where you have to physically get out of bed to turn it off. It's what I did to make 8am classes in college and 8:30am start times at work.

Finally, unless you are in a profession where you can come and go as you please, developing a reputation as someone who's chronically late or absent can be a career killer. Sleeping late fits that pattern. I'm a natural night-owl, but learned to get up with the chickens. Just a thought as you mature and grow older.

PS: Thanks for an interesting question that wasn't another "can I make this flight" or "is this connection OK"

In my view, staying up the night before a flight makes sense when it helps to "force" sleep on your flights, thus facilitating time zone changes.

 

Flying west coast to Europe, it's an 8 hour change to the Continent. If I'm somewhat whipped from the night before, I hit the zzz's easily. Ditto to Asia.

 

Now, if you are only changing one or two time zones, then it's a different story. You DON'T want to disrupt your normal sleep pattern.

 

However, staying up past midnight and sleeping in may not be a good pattern to get into. You say you have alarms on your phone....try getting an actual alarm clock with a loud alarm. Have it across the room from where you sleep, to where you have to physically get out of bed to turn it off. It's what I did to make 8am classes in college and 8:30am start times at work.

 

Finally, unless you are in a profession where you can come and go as you please, developing a reputation as someone who's chronically late or absent can be a career killer. Sleeping late fits that pattern. I'm a natural night-owl, but learned to get up with the chickens. Just a thought as you mature and grow older.

 

PS: Thanks for an interesting question that wasn't another "can I make this flight" or "is this connection OK"

There won't be any time zone changes. Our flight's gonna be within the same time zone as us, and it's only a three-hour flight :)

I've observed this plenty of times, when I traveled with my parents and my teenage brother - my mother would stay up all night packing just because she was too disorganized to get it done sooner. My brother would stay up all night because he was a teenager (and because mom did most of his packing, so he stayed awake to make sure that between the two of them, they didn't forget half his stuff).

They both would be semi-conscious by the time we get to the cruise ship so basically that whole afternoon would be completely shot, instead of unpacking, relaxing and exploring the ship and what-not, they would be napping just so they could stay awake through dinner. Just...stupid.

I've observed this plenty of times, when I traveled with my parents and my teenage brother - my mother would stay up all night packing just because she was too disorganized to get it done sooner. My brother would stay up all night because he was a teenager (and because mom did most of his packing, so he stayed awake to make sure that between the two of them, they didn't forget half his stuff).

 

They both would be semi-conscious by the time we get to the cruise ship so basically that whole afternoon would be completely shot, instead of unpacking, relaxing and exploring the ship and what-not, they would be napping just so they could stay awake through dinner. Just...stupid.

I always pack up everything on my own. Maybe if it doesn't take too long, I could get at least a little bit of sleep, but I don't organize my room quite as well as I used to.

Dear Mike,

My Darling GranDaughter (Baby Jen) just turned 24 and, like her Grama, is a Night Owl. Just today, she started Orientation week at Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine, where she will study for 4 years to be a Neurosurgeon. She drinks a lot of Starbucks. :D

I read a lot of stuff on the internet and, since my Mum died of Alzheimers, I take a lot of vitamins, minerals, and herbs (but no Rx) as well as eating well and I do Tai Chi, Yoga, ballroom dancing, and ping-pong every week.

The point is: Your Brain needs to sleep (as well as your muscles, heart, and all parts of your body). Jen's Mum is a dentist and never gets enough sleep but plays tennis 5 times a week. ;)

You may not notice it now; however, lack of sleep will take its toll on your poor body. You want to get Old fast? Don't sleep enough. My Mum always said, "I can sleep when I'm dead." Right. :eek:

But I want to feel good now. I start packing about 2 weeks before my trip and then repack about 3 times to eliminate unneeded things because I tend to overpack. It works for me. When flying to Europe from LAX, I like to leave about 4:30 PM. I wish I could sleep on the plane. I have no trouble sleeping on the return; however, flying to my trip, I am far too excited to sleep.

Now go to bed and stay as sweet & young as you should be. ;)

The older I get, the more I value my sleep. Glad you young pups can stay up all night, older farts like me need our "beauty" sleep. :D

I think that on a couple of occasions I have stayed up all night the night before a flight to a cruise, but because of having to finish work rather than anything else.

Went home, packed from scratch in 45 minutes (it's amazing how quickly it can be done if you focus on the essentials), got to the airport, showered there, and then boarded the flight and slept all the way across the Atlantic.

But I wouldn't plan to do it. I'd sleep the night before, and then I'd sleep again on the flight.

Update - we're staying near our airport the night before, so I got nothing to worry about :)

Just a tip re. the alarm. I read somewhere about a young man with your waking up problems - so he bought an old-fashioned bell alarm clock, not one with an electric ring. He kept it in a metal biscuit tin by the bed. He fixed a padlock to the biscuit tin, which he locked every night. And he kept the key in a long jug of iced water on the other side of the room. By the time he had switched the alarm off, he was awake.

I really like that old-fashioned alarm clock suggestion. The ice water would certainly wake me up.

Mike, dear, it is 15 against zero. You had better vote yourself. NOBODY wants to stay up all night. ;)

Best to get some sleep. ;)

I really like that old-fashioned alarm clock suggestion. The ice water would certainly wake me up.

 

Mike, dear, it is 15 against zero. You had better vote yourself. NOBODY wants to stay up all night. ;)

Made the decision - gonna get some sleep :D

Best to get some sleep. ;)

Will do! :)

I remember a saying when we were training in the Army. "Sleep while you can."

Made the decision - gonna get some sleep

Good Boy! ;)

My Mother always said, "I can sleep when I'm dead." However, she always went to bed with the chickens (7:30 PM). :eek:

Good Boy! ;)

 

My Mother always said, "I can sleep when I'm dead." However, she always went to bed with the chickens (7:30 PM). :eek:

On Holland America, 75% of passengers were in bed by 7:30 :) The staff was thrilled when our group showed up at the lounge around 9pm. It was pretty deserted.

I always try to sleep as much as possible the night before an overnight flight. It's really tough for me to sleep on a plane (I do drug myself these days). I can get by with 1 night's bad sleep, but 2 is a killer.

I do not stay up the entire night before I fly. I try and book either a mid to late afternoon departure. For instance on my next upcoming international flight for our Barcelona-Dubai Cruise the British Airways flight leaves at 4:40 PM and arrives at London at 11:00 AM with a 5.5 hour layover in London arriving Barcelona at 7;45 PM.

The night before the flight I will go to bed at 11 PM after an early dinner with pasta etc. Then I will wake up at 7 AM and stay up until bedtime on the flight. I have found that getting up at 4 AM is just a long day. When I wake up I will have breakfast and take a nice walk and leave for the airport around 12:30.

On the return as the Dubai flight leaves at 1 :00 AM. I will sleep well the night before and then in the evening take a 45 minute nap but no more and then sleep on the flight for as much as possible. We arrive London around 5 AM and have a 9 hour connection time so perhaps wait at the lounge or go into London depending on our mood/weather.

On the flight from London-SFO it leaves at 3;00 PM so will have lunch and then take a 90 minute nap or so and then stay up until our bedtime in SFO as the flight arrives at 7:05 PM we will go home and take a warm bath and go to sleep.

I find that taking a warm bath at your hotel upon arrival at your destination helps and to coordinate your flights to arrive so you don't have to worry abut waiting for your hotel room to be ready.

Staying up the whole night before just makes it harder.

On Holland America, 75% of passengers were in bed by 7:30. The staff was thrilled when our group showed up at the lounge around 9 PM. It was pretty deserted.

I love any kind of dancing at any time of the day: Ballroom, Jazz, Country-Western, and now I am trying to learn Japanese Dancing. It is very beautiful, done in a circle with both men & women, using fans and bamboo drumsticks. ;)